The present invention relates generally to analog circuits, and more particularly, to a comparator for detecting whether the magnitude of an analog input signal is greater than or less than a preset threshold value.
A comparator is an analog circuit used to detect whether the magnitude of an analog input signal is greater than or is less than a preset threshold value. Comparators must be capable of operating under the conditions required of the application in which it is employed. For example, where the magnitude of an analog input signal changes rapidly, the comparator must quickly determine whether the magnitude of the analog input signal is greater than or is less than the predetermined threshold value. In many applications, it is desirable to provide comparators that operate at high speed at low voltage with low power consumption.
Conventional high-speed comparators rely on a current reference to provide a bias. For a comparator to operate at a higher speed, additional circuitry is typically employed to generate the increased current that produces increased speed. This results in a tradeoff between the speed of operation of a comparator and the additional area of integrated circuitry used to generate the increased current to achieve higher speed of operation.
Other embodiments of the invention will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals identify similar or identical elements.